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I Can Make You Thin

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Eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Proven over 70% success rate!

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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About the author

Paul McKenna

127 books236 followers
Paul McKenna is an English hypnotist and self-improvement author.
McKenna has written and produced books and multimedia products, hosted self-improvement television shows and presents seminars in hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, weight loss and motivation.

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5 stars
637 (31%)
4 stars
548 (27%)
3 stars
497 (24%)
2 stars
200 (9%)
1 star
147 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
Profile Image for Books Ring Mah Bell.
357 reviews317 followers
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August 12, 2009
Browsing at the bookstore, I was bombarded with posters and an entire table of Paul's "Revolutionary" book. Really, Paul? Let me tell you something. If Dr. Atkins can't help the people, how can you? If The Lemon Juice Diet, You: On A Diet, South Beach Diet, The Best Life Diet, The Raw Food Detox Diet, Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet, The Maker's Diet, The Abs Diet, The Great American Detox Diet, The Ultimate Tea Diet, Prevention Flat Belly Diet, The Sonoma Diet, The Thyroid Diet, The 3-Season Diet, The Fat Smash Diet, The Fiber35 Diet, 5-Factor Diet, The Mars and Venus Diet, The No-Grain Diet, The Zone Diet, AND The Macrobiotic Diet have not done the trick what new scam, er, information are you bringing to the table? I see your little "workbook", Paul. Everyone has those too. And workout guides. And cookbooks.

Revolutionary my ass.

Eat less.
Cut out the crap foods. (do you really need a book to tell you deep fried shit is bad?)
Exercise.

There's your revolution, Paul.
Profile Image for Astrid.
1 review4 followers
February 23, 2011
I didn't want to rate this book so highly, as the title offends me! I think it sounds arrogant, and "thin" wasn't necessarily what I was looking for - just a healthy relationship with food! But the copy I have fell into my hands by accident - it got left over at a charity car boot sale I helped at, so I kept it out of curiosity, as I am interested in "Intuitive Eating" as an approach to improving ones relationship with food.

I was pleasantly surprised by the content of this book - it promotes a great attitude with food, and speaks out against the diet industry, which I passionately despise! The accompanying CD is great too, and I really do find it relaxing, and promoting of good eating habits!

So here I am, reluctantly giving this book 5 stars!
Profile Image for F.
294 reviews285 followers
July 3, 2018
As with all Paul McKenna books i feel somethings i could relate to and others not so much.
March 12, 2010
The premise of the book is simple... eat when you're hungry and don't eat when you're not hungry. It was almost too simple to be true. When I started doing this I realized the countless amount of times throughout the day that I ate just for eating sake... not because I was hungry. I would also eat way past the point of being hungry - not good. I've noticed a difference in my weight now and am much more calmer about food because of this book.

So, if I've told you all this why read the book? We've eaten the way we've eaten for so long that we've forgotten the skill of listening to our body's hunger cues and fullness cues. Paul McKenna will teach you the tips of how to re-learn these skills. A CD accompanies the book as well.


This is one of only 3 self-help books that I've read that actually made a difference in my life (what are the other two? The Secret and Forget Perfect)
Profile Image for Liza.
476 reviews12 followers
March 16, 2009
Wow, this is amazing! McKenna has four simple rules for weight loss (things like stop eating when you're full). Very easy to follow, and the quick book reinforces the rules. The book includes a hypnosis CD that is 25 minutes long. Listen to it for 2 weeks (I listened at night before bed), and his concepts are reinforced. Now I eat what I want (I can have birthday cake at a party), and just focus on stopping when I'm full. I'm amazed at how much less food I eat and am still full! I'm also in a lot better mood than I have been with other diets. McKenna does talk a lot about a positive self image, and I feel more confident (I know, that sounds cheesy!). I'm using it to lose the last of the baby weight, and so far it's working!
Profile Image for Sarah.
136 reviews9 followers
September 23, 2009
what a fabulous system, yet utterly common sense and "duh".
why didn't I think of this?
IT REALLY WORKS, thats the kicker.
there are no diets. No gimmicks.No shakes, no pills, no forbidden foods.
follow 4 SIMPLE rules when you eat and you will automatically eat less, lose weight. eat what you want, when you want.
Paul McKenna basically teaches you how to reprogram your brain and your eating habits.
Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
DUH!
I highly rcommend this book to anyone who has struggled and failed with every diet known to man. this is as simple as it gets, yet gets results. If you listen to the signals your body is sending, and stop when your body signals you to stop, you WILL lose weight.

HIGHLY recommend.
Profile Image for Marwa Marzougi.
13 reviews10 followers
February 8, 2011
كتاب جميل جدا وخفيف
يتحدث عن اسلوب حياة في طرق اكل الطعام للذين سئموا من انواع الرجيم ولم يستفد منه.

الشيء الملفت انه بعد ما انتهيت من الكتاب وجدت انه هذه الامور مذكورة في السنة النبوية. ونحن احق بذكرها من الغرب

الكتاب يتلخص ب اربعة نقاط

١-كُل وانت جائع (يوجد درجات الجوع عندما تصل لدرجه معينة تبدأ بالاكل )
٢- كُل ما تحب وليس ما يجب أن تأكل
٣-ُكل ببطئ وبعقلانية واستمتع بكل لقمه
٤- توقف عندما تشبع (وليس حتى التخمه ) وهنا يدربك ان تستمع لمعدتك متى يجب أن تبدأ ومتى تتوقف

مرفق مع الكتاب CD استرخاء يطلب منك الكاتب ان تستمع اليه يوميا على الاقل ، لتتركز بعض الافكار في العقل الباطن وهذا سيحسن عملية تخفيف الوزن.

أيضا يدربك الكاتب على بعض التمارين تفعلها يوميا ،هناك نقطه لم تعجبني وهو كيف تكره بعض الاطعمة التي لا تقاومها
اعتقد ان هذا لا يليق بنا كمسلمين لان النعمة يجب ان لا تهان .

أخيرا اقول أنها تجربة جميلة ومفيده جدا وأنا اتبعها ولا أشعر بأي نوع من الحرمان وبإذن الله سأتبعه كأسلوب حياة لانها السنة بالمقام الاول و الاخير

والحمدلله
Profile Image for Christine.
1,239 reviews17 followers
February 14, 2012
2/14/2012 UPDATE: I have noticed that I do a lot less snacking and eat a lot slower if I remember to follow the rules. I have lost 7 lbs in about 3 weeks. I shared this book with a friend and she has noticed she also snacks less and she has lost 4 lbs in about 2 weeks. Maybe it really can work. You really have to make a conscious effort to think about food differently and not just eat without thinking.

Can it really be this simple? This was a quick read with some pretty simple solutions to those of us trying to make the best of our New Years resolutions to lose weight and be healthy. I am excited to put it to the test and will update this review if there are any results (or lack thereof). Read this out loud to my husband while on a road trip and he is up for the challenge also. While traveling we did put some of the suggestions to use. We ate our snacks slowly, savoring the flavor instead of just mindlessly shoving them into our mouths. We did eat less.
August 31, 2014
ربما هو أكثر من مجرد كتاب عادي ، ليس فقط " للأفكار الذهبية " كما يفضل تسميتها بول ماكينا ، بل لأنه يذكرني بمعاناتي مع الوزن الزائد الذي لازمني طيلة فترة مراهقتي !

كثيرون من لا يعيرون إهت��اما بأشكالهم دعك من صحتهم هم يرون بأنهم على ما يرام طالما لا يتشكون من أي مرض ، ويرددون على سبيل ترخيص أنفسهم للتمتع بالطعام والإسترخاء طيلة اليوم من دون جهد حركي يذكرعبارات على غرار " أكل ماردتك بالتراب ! " ، " الرشاقة خلها للممثلين والعارضات ! " ، فبتدأ أول أعراض السمنة العجز عن إغلاق سحابة الجينز ، والتخلص من اللباس القديم وإستبداله بمقاسات أكبر ، ويترهل الجسد ، وتظهر الزوائد أسفل الظهر و تمتلئ الأذرع ، ويصبح الخصر أكثر عرضةً وامتلاءاً ، وقد تتعرض بعض الفتيات للإحراج فيحسب البعض أنها حامل !

لا العمر ، ولا حتى الحالة الاجتماعية - كالحمل ومابعد الولادة - لها علاقة في زيادة الوزن ، الأمر بغاية السهولة ، هو أن المرء بحاجة لأن يستبدل عاداته السيئة بعادات جيدة ، والمسألة ليست فقط للحصول على جسم ممشوق بقدر الحصول على صحة جيدة ، و راحة نفسية أكثر ، وأقترح لمن يهمه الأمر قراءة سيرة بدر العليان ومعاناة مع السمنة المفرطة !

أغلب الكتب يفضل عدم ذكر تفاصيلها ، بإستثناء هذا الكتاب كي تعم الفائدة :


القاعدة الذهبية الأولى :
"عندما تكون جائعاً ، تناول الطعام "

يحسب البعض إن تجويع أنفسهم قد يمكنهم من إنقاص أوزانهم إلا أن ذلك غير صحيح !
لذلك يشتكي البعض من عدم فقدانهم الكليوغرامات ، ذلك لأن جسمك يقوم بتخزين ماتأكله بعد فتره تجويع " لأنه يعتقد أن هنالك مجاعة " فلا يحرق بقدر مايخزن !

لكن هذا لايعني أن تأكل وقتما تشاء وإنما عندما تشعر بالجوع بالفعل
وقد قام بول ماكينا ( بقياس الجوع ) الذي يسمح لنا بتناول الطعام :
- عندما تكون جائع قليلاً
- جائع تماماً

لاتصل إلى مرحلة التضور من شدة الجوع أو " ضعيف جسدياً من فرط الجوع " لأنك بهذه الحالة لن تفقد من وزنك !


القاعدة الذهبية الثانية :
" كل ما تشاء ، وليس ما تعتقد أنه ينبغي عليك تناوله ! "

في البرامج التي تعرض على التلفاز يهم إخصائي التغذية بفتح ثلاجة أحد الأسخاص الذين يرغبون في إنقاص أوزانهم برمي الآيس كريم وألواح الشوكولاته والبيتزا وغيرها من الأطعمة الدسمة التي يحبها الجميع ، هنا يخبرنا بول ماكينا بأنه لا يوجد قائمة للأطعمة الممنوعه ، وبدلاً من ذلك يشجعك لتناول ما تحبه وإن كان يحوي الكثير من السعرات الحرارية ، فهو يعتقد بأن الحرمان يولد التوتر والشعور بالذنب لأنك تحرم نفسك ما ترغب بتناوله ، لذا يرى بأن خير ما تفعله أن تأكل بإعتدال دون إفراط بمعنى آخر أن تتحرر من القيود التي تفرض عليك البرامج الغذائية !


القاعدة الذهبية الثالثة :
" تناول الطعام بوعي واستمتع بكل قضمة فيه "

هذه القاعده إن طبقتها كما يجب سينقص وزنك من دون جهد يذكر !
طبعاً هنالك قواعد أخرى وعنصر أساسي لايمكن التغاضي عنه وهى ممارسة الرياضة ، لكن ما نفع الرياضة إن كنت تأكل من دون وعي عما تأكله ؟ !

على سبيل المثال حينما تذهب للسينما شيء طبيعي أن تشتري الفشار وبعض المشروبات الغازية ، أنت لاتدرك ما تأكله إلا حينما يفقد إصبعك عن البحث عن قطعة فشار أخرى ، هذا يعني أن حواسك كلها كانت للفيلم الذي تشاهده وفي غالب الظن أنك شبعت منذ مده لكنك لم تدرك ذلك !
لذا حينما تريد تناول طعامك لا تشاهد التلفاز أو تقرأ كتاب أو حتى تنجذب لحديث شيق ، وبدلاً من ذلك استشعر بكل قضمة تتناولها وملمسها الناعم في فمك كلما ركزت أكثر ستفقد متعة طعامك تدريجاً وحالما تفقد ت��ك المتعة ستصرف استكمال طبقك !


القاعدة الذهبية الرابعة :
" عندما تعتقد أنك شبعت توقف عن تناول الطعام "

يسمي بول ماكينا الأشخاص الذين لا يغادرون مقعدهم إلا وأنهو أطباقهم بـ " نادي الطبق النظيف " ، ومن المؤسف أن الكثير من أبناء الخليج العربي يمارسون تلك العادة التي اكتسبوها من أمهاتهم ، فالأم تعتقد بأن الطفل سيكون بصحةٍ أفضل إن تناول كل مافي طبقه ، فيكبر وتلازمه تلك العادة وهذا مايفسر لماذا البعض كان سميناً منذ أن كان طفلاً !


كما أعطى بول ماكينا أهمية لممارسة الرياضة ، وتطرق بالحديث عنه في الفصل الخامس ، يرى بأنه ليس من الضرورة لأن تكون عضواً في نادي ، كل ماعليك فعله هو أن تعود جسدك على الحركة ، كأن تستقل مركبتك بعيداً عن المبنى الذي أنت في صدد الذهاب إليه ، استعمال الدرج بدلاً من المصعد ، والرقص ! فهو يخلصك من التوتر ، وفي أوقات فراغك بدلاً من مشاهدة التلفاز تمشى ولو نصف ساعة ، هذه الأمور تجعلك تنقص من وزنك من دون أن تشعر بذلك !

الكتاب مزود بالصور لأشخاص تخلصوا من عاداتهم السلبية مستبدلينها بالقواعد الذهبية وما ترتب عليه من نتائج مرضية ، بالإضافة إلى ذلك يوجد قرص مدمج يساعد على برمجة العقل للتخلص من الوزن الزائد .


قرأت ترجمة مكتبة الجرير وكانت جيدةً جداً ، أما عن الأسطوانه فلم ترق لي وتمنيت لولم تترجم !

Profile Image for نادية أحمد.
Author 1 book475 followers
September 13, 2017
خمس نجمات وقليلة في حق هذا الكاتب

حقيقةً بأنّه كتاب بعيد كل البُعد عن الدعايات
والترويج الذكي وغيره من وعود كاذبة
أو آمال تتطلب جهود جبّارة لذلك هي ص��بة المنال

بول كينا لخّص برنامج وخبرته في صفحات قليلة
وأسلوب كله سلاسة وبساطة
لغة سهلة واضحة وتخلو من أي تعقيد
قواعد مُحببة للتطبيق
وإقناع تدريجي يدخل ويتغلغل في العقل قبل الرغبة

أعطى ٤ قواعد ذهبيّة للتخلص من الوزن الزائد
ولإستعادة الثقة بالنفس والإستمتاع بالحياة:
١) عندما تكونين جائعة تناولي الطعام
٢) كلي ما تريدينه، لا ماتعتقدين أنه يجب عليك أكله
٣) تناولي الطعام بوعي واستمتعي بكل لقمة منه
٤) عندما تعتقدين أنك شبعتِ توقفي عن تناول الطعام.

وكذلك طرح مقياس الجوع وهو ما اعتبرته مذهلاً
من خلال ١٠ مقاييس ودرجات منها:
_ منهكة جسدياً
_ جائعة قليلاً
_ شبعت
_ جائعة كثيراً

بغية التناغم مع الجسد وتحددي الشعور الحقيقي
وليس ما يوهمنا جسدنا به.

وحثّ على تغيير عادات مكتسبة على مدى العمر
منها:
الإعتزال من نادي الطبق النظيف

وأكّد على ضرورة عدم قياس الوزن خلال أسبوعين
من بداية اتباع برنامجه
وعرض العديد من الأشخاص الذي فقدوا أوزانهم
خاصة الذين وصلوا لمرحلة اليأس من تكرار الحميات وفشلها
صفحة ٦٢ عرض صورتين لمورين إدواردز بعد
فقدانها ل ١١٤ كيلو غراماً وقصة خسارتها لوزنها

حقيقةً الكتاب مذهل مذهل مذهل
وأي شخص يواجه مشكلة حقيقية في زيادة الوزن
فعليه بقراءة هذا الكتاب خاصة وأنه خفيف جداً
ومختصر جداً

ولا أنسى التقنيات التي ذكرها في سبيل الحد من
الشره أو التوق للطعام خاصة بعد توسّع المعدة
وحذّر من الأكل العاطفي لأنّه غالباً هو أساس البلاء

هنالك قاعدة أساسية:
يجب أن تصالحي الجسد الذي تملكين لكي تحصلي
على الجسد الذي تريدين.

وتحدّث عن الاستقلاب بشكل عام وخاصة البطيء
وكيف نسرّعه بكل سهولة ويُسر

أجمل ما في الكتاب وجود تقنيات وتكتيك سهل التطبيق

وتطرّق لإكتشاف الدكتور جيمس هيل حول دراسته
للعدد الوسطي للخطوات الذي نمشيه يومياً بمعدّل
٥٠٠٠ خطوة للإناث والذكور ٦٠٠٠ خطوة
لكن البدينين يمشون ١٥٠٠ إلى ٢٠٠٠ خطوة فقط
فيما يوصي الأطباء بمشي ١٠ آلاف خطوة يومياً
أمّا لإنقاص الوزن ٢٠ ألف خطوة في اليوم

وبالمناسبة أفضل برنامج لقياس الخطوات هو:
StepsApp

الكتاب يستحق كل المدح فيه والكاتب يستحق التقدير

عنوان الكتاب: أستطيع أن أجعلكِ نحيلة "صحة"
اسم المؤلف : بول مك كينا
سنة النشر: ٢٠٠٦
الناشر: العبيكان
اسم المترجم: د.سامر الأيوبي
عدد الصفحات: ١٢٤


نادية أحمد
١٣ سبتمبر ٢٠١٧
Profile Image for Hil.
451 reviews11 followers
July 6, 2012
At time of writing I am on day 6 of 90 on this weight-loss journey. I will update this review following that to tell you how well it worked. Bear with me if that's what you want to know!

For me, this is a brilliant weight-loss system. The criticisms I've seen so far seem to be from people who didn't follow all the steps correctly or give themselves enough time to work with it. This is not a quick fix diet, something you can do for a week then go back to "eating normally", it's for people who need to change how they eat for good. Possibly they didn't have 'the right kind' of weight problem (I will explain what I mean about that in a bit!) I don't see how anyone can fail to lose weight if they genuinely follow all the steps - there are only 4!

Other criticisms I've seen are about the book being expensive, nothing new and 'just like any other diet book'. I agree that it could be cheaper (which is why I bought mine on ebay!) The version I have is the colour one from 2010 with the CD and DVD. As many of said, the CD and DVD are only the first part of fuller sets which is deemed "a rip off" and "a con" by some, but you don't need to buy the others - it's not essential, and you can also buy them on ebay - I got the CD set for £3! You can easily get along just with the first CD. The DVD is just a summary of the main points of the book for people who can't be bothered to read it - not essential. You should listen to the CD every day as part of the plan. Some people have struggled with this as his voice sounds quite funny and it can be distracting, but personally I use hypnosis CDs quite a bit when going to sleep so it was fine (although I missed Glenn Harrold!)

This version of the book does have a lot of padding - large pretty pictures, large typefaces, pages with no text at all, and there is some repetition in the text as well. In that way, it could be smaller and less glossy and therefore cheaper.

The second half of the book is a diet journal you are meant to fill in daily for 90 days. Some people find this "a con" as well. It's a very basic journal that involves minimal writing (you just tick things off a list), but it has little exercises each day designed to help you think about things and love yourself and all sorts of things. I like that part because it feels like I'm getting some therapy for my money. I believe in therapeutic journaling, so I think this is a good part of the book, and I'd say keep another journal where you can actually write more!

It is like other diet books in that they all tend to state that they aren't diet books and diets don't work. I haven't really read a lot of diet books because I do believe that they are generally a bad thing, but it seems to me that I do agree with everything PM says in here - low-fat, sugar-free 'diet' foods are the devil's work (my words, not Paul's!) and diets make people fatter. They haven't made me fatter, because I don't tend to diet, but nevertheless, I am fat because I eat too much. Or rather, I have been eating too much - I'm not now! This is where I come to being "the wrong kind of weight problem" for this book...

I think there are two kinds of fat people - people who have always been fat and people who have got fat in later life. They may look the same but they behave differently. If you have got fat because you gave birth a few times, or went out drinking a lot in your twenties, developed bad habits at university, didn't have tme to eat well looking after kids etc. you will feel differently about your fatness than someone who grew up chubby and got teased, overate for comfort after being bullied, learned how to they could best 'blend in' with the people of normal size growing up, used their fatness as armour, ate in secret, learning to move our bulk through an average-sized world without causing too much offence...that makes a different kind of fat person. Any kind of fat person can use this system, whether they have 1 stone or 400 stones to lose. Paul uses examples from many different situations. But I think the 'lifelong fatties' would probably benefit from it more because of all the work on self-esteem and body-image. If you do this properly, it is a life change and a long, slow & steady journey and that's how long it takes to make your brain adjust to being normal after a lifetime of thinking it's not. It works with the inner problems causing you to overeat, and not just on the rules of what to eat - there are no rules of what to eat!

There are also NLP techniques to deal with food cravings - not sure what I think about those because I've not tried them and haven't needed to yet. I will if I have a strong craving. Maybe it's one of those things that work if you believe it will.

I would say, buy it second-hand, follow all the steps including the CD (remember that Paul McKenna is a famous hypnotist and not a dietician, so that will be a key part of this!), give it some time and TRUST that it will work, DON'T keep weighing yourself, take or leave the DVD and NLP, keep a journal, move around more, drink water, play motivational music, eat slowly and listen to your body. The worst thing that will happen is you won't lose any weight at all, but I'd like to see you try.
Profile Image for Will Jeffries.
164 reviews13 followers
April 25, 2011
This book was truly inspiring to me. Before reading this book, I struggled with getting my weight under control. I was eating out all the time, and (yes, you guessed it) - gaining weight and puttin' on the pounds.

Some helpful and encouraging notes I jotted down from this book include:
1. It's a good idea to make your first response to hunger pangs a fresh glass of water. If you're not hungry afterward, it was thirst; if you still are, dig in!
2. As soon as you've had enought to eat, you'll notice that each subsequent bit of food becomes a little less enjoyable than the one before. The more you pay attention to this phenomenon, the more obvious it becomes.
3. Fully enjoy every single mouthful.

4 Elements of the System:
1). Eat when you're hungry.
2). Eat only what you want, never what you think you "should".
3). Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful.
4). Stop when you think you're full.

Plus, this book comes with a helpful CD with Paul McKenna taking you into a short 20-minute hypnosis session. It is a fun, easy and short read. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Juline.
100 reviews16 followers
January 10, 2009
Wow! I watched his television series and was very impressed. Picked up the book on an impulse at B&N. It comes with a CD that is a self-hypnosis CD. I LOVE IT!!! This guy has SOMETHING right!!!! I have found myself moving around more today and am much more aware of real hunger versus emotional hunger. Definatly worth the read. Hoping this really helps. So far I like what it is doing.
Profile Image for TWISTARELLA.
1,672 reviews37 followers
September 11, 2019
Very helpful book.

Pretty much intuitive eating. Eat only when hungry, stop when you had enough, eat what you like not what you think you should eat, etc.

He is engaging and has a pleasant speaking voice ( comes with cd )
81 reviews5 followers
December 2, 2018
خیلیییییی عالی بود.اصلا" نمیدونم چه جوری توصیفش کنم.با اینکه به هیچ عنوان از کتاب های سلف هلپ خوشم نمیاد و به نظرم اکثرا" بی فایده هستن؛اما این کتاب واقعا" فرق داشت.فوق العاده مفید و کاربردی بود...به نظرم در زمینه موضوعی خودش بهترین کتابه
Profile Image for Jennifer.
98 reviews12 followers
August 20, 2012
Well this is totally unexpected, but... this guy really knows what he's doing! The problem for some people might be that he doesn't get into explaining how all of this stuff works to change your brain into functioning like a thin person's brain. I think he purposely tried to keep this very simple. So for someone like me who's not convinced about such things until she understands how they work, this book could easily be blown off as self-help hogwash. But since he takes ideas from things I've been learning about for a bit, I can see the genius behind it. I'm just not sure your average reader is going to blindly trust this method enough to really keep up with it (even though there's really not that much to keep up with).

When I picked up this book (for $1), I thought, "Yeah well sure... hypnosis is great, but EFT will REALLY get your brain on the right track." Well guess what... he teaches EFT in the book! And a variation of the HAMR technique (see this blog about how one person recovered from MCS by using limbic retraining, EFT and HAMR), as well as NLP and some other brain-retraining techniques that I've been using from the Gupta Programme. So if any of the folks using Gupta or DNRS brain retraining would like to tackle some issues around eating, this is a good place to start.

And I have to say, after a week of reading this and listening to the CD twice a day, I can't say that I'm really putting forth an effort to slim down, but I do find that I'm just less interested in eating things or amounts that I really "shouldn't" be eating. (Although he would say there's no food you "shouldn't" eat, I kinda think that's just a little bit of bait-and-switch on his part. You're not supposed to think that you're denying yourself your "favorites," but I think you might wind up changing your mind about how appealing your favorites really are.) Of course the additional reading that I do about what different foods/chems do to your health, or how they're slaughtered/produced, also helps me to train my brain away from craving certain things.

Of course, I obviously don't completely agree with someone who says, "Eat whatever you want." But hey... if the simple nature of this program is what it takes for it to work for people, then so be it.

ALL THAT SAID, I don't expect any magical results from this, mainly because I have trouble with two of the four rules: Eat when you're hungry, and stop eating when you think you're full. I'm one of those people he talks about who used to starve themselves and so has trained themselves to not know what hunger feels like. In addition, my MCS-related digestive pains are something I can't usually differentiate from hunger sensations. So what I'm saying is... I don't know how to tell when I'm hungry or when I'm full (until either is at an extreme, and then it becomes obvious; and then there are times when I feel both extremes simultaneously... so you can see this gets confusing for me). I've also learned, from years of having ulcers, a reflex of feeding myself to get rid of any "sick" feelings. So you can imagine that I really started putting on the pounds when I became chronically ill. This isn't directly addressed in the book, but I can extrapolate a plan for breaking that reflex with EFT and/or HAMR (we'll see if I ever actually put forth the effort, though... I've got bigger fish to fry for now). I just would get more out of this if he had a better method for teaching yourself how to learn what hungry feels like.

Profile Image for Ginger.
30 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2009
This is by a guy who takes behavioural cognative therapy and applies it to weight loss. Not new, not revolutionary, but why does it need to be? I think that's the problem most people have with weight loss: it's so simple, we overlook it.
Let me summarize:
His four golden rules are
1. Eat when you're hungry.
2. Eat only what you truly want, not what you think you should eat.
3. Eat every bite consciously, tasting and enjoying it fully.
4. Stop when you think you're full.

He also adds moving every day and drinking water, and he talks about letting go of emotional attachments to food and removing the "fixation" with food by redirecting your brain.
So, this all sounds too simple. And it is! But it is not easy to truly follow these guidelines.
Ugh. And I thought there was some big mystery.
I really trying to give it a shot, and so far I feel a bit better every day. Wow, can it be the simplest path winds up being the most effective? If so, I am totally behind that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sarah.
332 reviews96 followers
January 23, 2013
I was a little bit dubious about reading Paul McKennas books mainly because my only experience of him has been watching his stage shows. As a fellow Hypnotherapist (Clinical not Stage), I was intrigued to see what his approach was at dealing with issues that I see clients for on a regular basis. I had also been recommended it by another hypnotherapist. I was very impressed with the book. It only took me an hour to read it - has some great facts and information in there and is really easy to follow. A simple approach - Eat when your hungry, Consciously enjoy what your eating, Stop when you are full! It talks about how diets don't work and quotes some great little pieces of research. I do not need to lose weight at all so I didn't listen to the CD in the way the book suggests, although I did listen to it the once to get an idea of the content and techniques used to compare to my current approach and thought it was spot on.
39 reviews5 followers
February 13, 2009
I'ts a short book and an easy read. I think he's right on with ideas about changing our relationship with food and his very simple rules. It's very "anti-diet", (yea!) and more about reprogramming habits and thoughts so that healthier eating is normal life...by choice. My girls and I are going to give it a go...I'll let you know. I already feel a difference in how I'm eating...and he insists that you eat when your hungry, and what you want, and S-L-O-W-L-Y, etc. He also includes some methods to reduce cravings and ways to deal with sabotaging beliefs. I already know the methods he teaches...kind of cracked me up actually...and yes, they work.
Profile Image for شيماء فؤاد.
Author 2 books975 followers
Read
February 4, 2018
كتاب مبسط وخفيف ومختصر .. و أنهيته في ساعة واحدة ..
ملخصه
• كل عندما تجوع .. كي لا تسمح للجسم بالدخول في نمط المجاعة أو الحرمان الذي يحفزه لإختزان الشحوم .
•يجب أن تفرق بين الجوع الحقيقي والجوع العاطفي .. اذا كنت تعاني من جوع عاطفي(غضب ملل .. . ) يمكنك التواصل مع صديق .. فعل أي نشاط غير الأكل .
• كل حتى تشبع او تبدا في الشعور بالشبع و ليس الشعور بالامتلاء التام ..
• امضغ الطعام جيدا .. واستمتع به ..هذا يجعلك تشعر بالشبع بسرعة و تاكل أقل .
•الصورة الذهنية عن شكلك ووزنك و سرعة حرقك مهمة .
•ابذل أي نشاط يجعلك تتنفس بعمق أو يزيد ضربات قلبك .. لان هذا الوضع يسرع من حرق الدهون ..

مفيد .. لم أندم على قراءته .
Profile Image for Mariam Akram.
47 reviews5 followers
March 29, 2019
كتاب يعتمد أكثر على التحكم في الذات .. يؤكد على حب النفس أولا وبرمجة العقل
باختصار لا يستطيع مساعدتك إذا لم تكن قادر على حب ومساعدتك نفسك
القواعد الأربعة التي وضعها لنظام جديد جيدة جدا وأساسية أهمها لا تأكل إلا عندما تكون جائع فقط
أعجبني جزء الأكل العاطفي وطريقة التغلب عليها
في المجمل كتاب جيد خفيف
Profile Image for Lavins.
1,045 reviews41 followers
May 20, 2023
5 stars

Excellent book! I love the techniques and the processes! I love the positive vibe and the simple and clear instructions.

I'll update in a few weeks with my results.
1 review
January 26, 2013
I read Paul Mckenna's book several times from cover to cover,listened to the cd,and even attended his "weight-loss event";(which mainly consisted consisted of him explaining the book-presumably for people who were unable to read!)
After having tried everything he suggests and following the instructions to the letter I can truthfully say: IT DID NOT WORK AT ALL for me!In fact I gained weight whilst trying to apply the principles he promotes.
I sincerely believe that the "Paul Mckenna weight loss method"is just a modern day example of "The Emperor's New Clothes";hopefully people will hear my small voice of sanity and stop getting sucked in and exploited by the power of commercially motivated advertising on this charlatan's products.
I know there are a lot of people who struggle with issues of weight and I think it is most unethical that this man exploits his position of minor celebrity to cash in on vulnerable consumers.
Profile Image for Ali.
3 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2009
This book doesn't contain any real new information. Many other people out there have said what McKenna is saying. But what I found different about this book was the simpleness and how concisely he has presented his four simple rules. I felt good reading it and I am stiving to fit his philosophies into my life. Even though I've read other books saying the same thing, this was the one book that spoke to me.

As for the CD, it was quite weird to listen to at first. I didn't know what to make of it. But now, I listen often and really enjoy it.
Profile Image for Nikki Magennis.
Author 18 books29 followers
April 3, 2012
Though I'm shriveling with shame, I am going to bravely list my latest rash of self-improvement books.

This one is ludicrously thin itself, as if the slimness of the volume will subconsciously encourage your quest, and McKenna makes my skin crawl. But his central message I can dig - eat what you want, when you want. Learn to listen to your body. Relearn what it means to be hungry.

(There really isn't very much more to the text than this. But it does have a shiny CD).

Whether it works or not remains to be seen, she says, weeping into her cheesecake like a sad, fat bird.
Profile Image for Susan.
1,625 reviews11 followers
July 11, 2009
The author gives very sensible advice (though Geneen Roth gave it first - many, many years ago). However, I got the feeling he didn't REALLY mean that you could eat anything you wanted. Why else give instructions on how to get rid of a craving or stop eating a food forever?
Profile Image for Donna.
13 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2013
This book has changed my relationship with food. I am down 11 pounds in 4 weeks and have not felt hungry or deprived myself of anything during this time. I will never see food the same way again. This is not hypnosis, but rather cognitive behavioral reframing and it is just powerful.
Profile Image for Grace.
54 reviews
Read
July 24, 2023
I have no idea how to rate this book. I read it because someone on Twitter said it changed their whole relationship with food. I don't think it is quite that dramatic.

There was some basic, common-sense stuff in here that I did think was useful. Eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full is a sensible system.

On the other hand, the title and the emphasis throughout the whole book is about being thin as the end goal - having a good relationship with food is just the means to that end. I think this emphasis on appearance is a bit regressive.

I also strongly suspect that there's a lot of pseudoscience in here. McKenna mixes correlation and causation (e.g. with BMI and number of daily steps). This is not a book with a strong evidentiary basis, as far as I can tell from its contents.
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